Cities, states and countries worldwide have been doing their part to promote the use of alternative transportation. Cities like London and Paris (and soon New York) have adopted bicycle-renting stations for tourists and citizens and many cities have created new bike lanes to make city travel for cyclists less dangerous.

A new concept design follows in this trend, but with a twist. The Velo Chic, designed by Guo-Shiung Hung, is a bicycle design that focuses on the needs of female riders.

Designed to "increase the bicycle ridership in an urban environment for a sustainable future," Hung also noticed that in American, women only make up 25% of bicycle commuters.

"The main factor that lead to this gender gap," he wrote in the product description, "is that the industry trend of bicycles continues to focus on the existing bicycles ignoring the needs of non-riders. In this case, female users could become an expanding market for the bicycle industry in the future."

The Velo Chic features a folding hinge and handle bar, with a lower frame to allow for more restricted clothing. The folding features make it very storage-friendly for those who live in tighter spaces.

The bicycle has a Sussex shaft-driven system that makes pedaling much easier and it also comes with a Gruber electric power assist system that allows riders to switch to an all-electric mode if need be.

Beth Carter is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco. She has worked for Catalyst magazine, the New York Times Syndicate, BBC Travel and Wired. She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and New York University.
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